Newsletter: Essential California: Fire devastates a NorCal community, again

Good morning. It is Tuesday, Aug. 16. Actor Dick Van Dyke and his a cappella group sang “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” at a Denny’s in Santa Monica. Here’s what else is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Familiar destruction

Lake County in Northern California is on fire again. One year after a series of wildfires destroyed much of the area, the community has once again been set ablaze. By Monday afternoon, the fire had destroyed at least 175 structures, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Damin Pashilk, a county resident, was arrested on suspicion of arson in connection with the Clayton fire and other fires in the area during the last year, officials said. Los Angeles Times

Clearing a path

It took decades, but much of the opposition to the Wilshire Boulevard subway has faded amid changing attitudes about mass transit. As construction continues on the subway, one pocket of opposition remains: in Beverly Hills. But that long legal battle might be coming to a close. Los Angeles Times

Top two

Donald Trump is the presidential nominee of the Republican Party. He’s also the nominee for the American Independent Party on the November ballot. “We are the demographic that Trump is appealing to. We are heeding the voice of our voters,” said Markham Robinson, the secretary of the American Independent Party of California. Los Angeles Times

Readers, we always love hearing from you. You can keep up with Alice and Shelby during the day on Twitter. Follow @TheCityMaven and @ShelbyGrad.

L.A. AT LARGE

School prep: In Santa Monica, parents are paying $1,000 for a weeklong boot camp to get their 3-, 4- and 5-year-olds ready for kindergarten. “When they get into kindergarten there is no play. It’s like first grade,” said Elizabeth Fraley, director of KinderPrep. Los Angeles Times

Open for now: The Santa Monica airport will have to remain open at least until 2023. That’s the finding of the Federal Aviation Administration. Los Angeles Times

City’s identity: New soundwalls along the 10 Freeway mean the city of West Covina and the San Gabriel Mountains will be hidden from view. “You are cutting off a city’s identity. I am used to driving by landmarks,” said former West Covina councilman Mike Touhey. The $553-million project is intended to trap noise from passing cars. San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Earthquake safety: The glass slide attached to the U.S. Bank Tower is probably the last place you want to be during an earthquake. “It would be scary as hell, but the glass wouldn’t break,” said structural engineer Michael Ludvik. As a reminder, the slide is 70 stories above downtown Los Angeles. Curbed LA

Shortcut? Answering one of the burning question for people living in L.A.: What’s the best and least painful way to pick someone up from LAX? LAist

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Economic policy: Professor Peter Navarro of UC Irvine is the only academic on Trump’s economic advisory council. “He is running on the trade issue — stopping Mexico and China from cheating. That resonates with voters, even if most academics and policymakers embrace globalization,” Navarro said. Orange County Register

Plans scrapped: The city of Claremont is abandoning plans to build a bridge over Indian Hill Boulevard for the Metro Gold Line light rail. The decision not to construct a bridge means the train may cross the boulevard every five minutes. “I want to make sure everyone understands, there will be delays on Indian Hill. There will be more trains coming through there,” said City Manager Tony Ramos. Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

CRIME AND COURTS

Police investigated: What happened during the arrest of Maurice Gibson Jr.? Internal affairs officers with the San Bernardino Police Department are looking into how Gibson ended up with a broken nose and two black eyes after leading cops on a foot chase. “When I came to they were still beating the ... out of me,” Gibson said of his arrest. San Bernardino Sun

Back in custody: An inmate who walked out of a South L.A. halfway house was apprehended and taken back into custody, authorities said. Sarkis Akopyan, who was serving a two-year sentence for auto theft, removed his GPS tracking device about 10 p.m. Friday. He was discovered the following evening in Glendale. Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Costly disaster: A study from UC Davis estimates the California drought is costing farmers $603 million this year. “The drought continues for California’s agriculture in 2016, but with much less severe and widespread impacts than in the two previous drought years, 2014 and 2015,” according to the report. Sacramento Bee

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Olympic medalist: Sarah Robles of Desert Hot Springs is the first American to win a weightlifting medal at the Olympics since 2000. She took the bronze in the women’s 75-kilogram and up competition. Desert Sun

Iconic photo: Hear from the photographers who captured runner Mary Decker’s fall at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. “I very distinctly remember telling myself, in a conversation that probably took about one tenth of a second, just make sure you’re focused,” said David Burnett. Deadspin

#GoBears: The grandson of Muhammad Ali has committed to playing football at Cal. Biaggio Ali-Walsh is a running back at Bishop Gorman in Nevada. ESPN

Blast from the past, Part 1: Bronx seedless grapes, which disappeared nearly a century ago, are being grown again, this time in California, and being shipped east. New York Times

Blast from the past, Part 2: The iconic Brown Derby neon sign — a siren call for old Hollywood — is burning again. LAist

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

San Francisco’s clouds will give way to sunshine as temperatures reach 69 degrees. It will be sunny and hot in Sacramento at 98 degrees. Riverside will have a high of 104 degrees. It’ll be sunny and 94 in Los Angeles. San Diego will have some fog as temperatures reach 85 degrees.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California Memory comes from John Tobin:

“During the 1970s, I was a Top 40 AM radio DJ in San Luis Obispo. I would drive to L.A. over San Marcos Pass three times a week to see shows such as Tom Petty, Springsteen and Patti Smith at the Roxy, Whisky and Troubadour. I grew up in Santa Maria by the Columbia Records pressing plant where you could buy albums for a dollar, so I had a lot of records.”

If you have a memory or story about the Golden State, share it with us. Send us an email to let us know what you love or fondly remember about our state. (Please keep your story to 100 words.)

Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments, complaints and ideas to Alice Walton or Shelby Grad.